A Mendocino County marijuana growers' association on Thursday called "misguided" a federal subpoena for records the county of Mendocino keeps regarding its medical marijuana ordinance, County Code 9.31, and urged county officials to take action to fight the subpoena at a special meeting of the Board of Supervisors on Dec. 4.

The U.S. Attorney's Office issued the subpoena to the Mendocino County Auditor's Office in late October, asking for records of funds paid to the county under 9.31, according to county officials.

"In an attempt to gain access to the personal and financial information of state law-compliant medical cannabis farmers in Mendocino County, federal authorities have requested records regarding the county's pre-2012 medical cannabis cultivation ordinance," according to a Nov. 29 statement from the Emerald Growers Association, which calls itself "a medical cannabis trade association."

Until March, the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office issued permits under 9.31 for collectives wanting to grow up to 99 marijuana plants, an exemption to the county's 25-plant limit.

The county stopped issuing the permits and reverted to the 25-plant limit for all growers after the U.S. Attorney's Office threatened to file and injunction against the county's medical marijuana cultivation ordinance and seek legal action against county officials who supported it.

Last week, Sheriff Tom Allman said while it wasn't clear yet why the federal government wants the 9.31 records and that he couldn't reveal what kind of records it specifies, the federal subpoena covers all records pertaining to the ordinance.

"Emerald Growers Association, a medical cannabis trade association representing farmers in the Emerald Triangle region, considers the targeting of law-abiding citizens misguided and has called on residents and elected officials to take action immediately," the EGA statement reads.

The county's development of "a strict regulatory framework" that complied with state law and the California Attorney General's medical marijuana guidelines "began to bring local cannabis growers above ground" and set them apart from illegal growers who cause environmental and public safety hazards on public lands, according to the EGA.

"Now, the federal government is attempting to punish the farmers that were brave enough to stand up and become leaders in the fight to take back Mendocino County from the hands of criminal organizations," the EGA states.

Growers assumed in complying with the county's regulations that doing so wouldn't leave them vulnerable to "federal harassment," according to the statement.

Allman also stated last week that the county's now-canceled permitting program for collectives to grow up to 99 medical marijuana plants never guaranteed the applicants immunity from federal prosecution. The application for the permit includes a liability waiver t that effect.

"It would be manifestly unjust to hang these farmers out to dry and expose them to possible criminal prosecution by delivering their personal information in response to the subpoena," the EGA states, calling the Board of Supervisors to "defend these citizens" by directing County Council Tom Parker "to oppose it in court, if necessary."

The EGA says the federal government's recent actions "undermine and chill the county's ability to effectively regulate cannabis cultivation" and "works a serious injustice upon the residents of Mendocino County, who overwhelmingly support strict regulation of medical cannabis in their county."

The EGA urges residents to call and e-mail their county supervisors before the Dec. 4 special Board of Supervisors meeting, which starts at 9 a.m., and "demand that the county act to protect its citizens' interests and to fight the federal subpoena by passing a unanimous resolution to direct County Counsel Tom Parker to oppose it in court, if necessary."

The meeting has only two agenda items, both to be discussed with Parker behind closed doors.

One of the discussion items is about a law suit by Masonite Corporation over a proposed mining operation on land northeast of its holdings north of Ukiah. The other item says only that the discussion is about "anticipated litigation: significant exposure to litigation -- one case."

The EGA's stated mission is to "promote the medicinal, environmental, social and economic benefits of lawfully cultivated sun-grown medical cannabis from California's Emerald Triangle Region by advocating for public policies that foster a healthy, sustainable medical cannabis industry."

Tiffany Revelle can be reached at udjtr@pacific.net, on Twitter @TiffanyRevelle or at 468-3523.